How one minute can help prevent a suicide6:09

Black Dog Institute's Rachel Green shares what a short conversation can do for someone contemplating suicide

September 10th 2017

17 days ago

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A girl looking out onto the beach from a shrine to Libby Bell at the Moana Surf Life Saving Club in Moana. Libby took her own life at the end of August. (AAP Image/MATT LOXTON)Source:News Corp Australia

AUTHORITIES will set up a statewide suicide register to track trends, as part of a new five-year plan to reduce deaths.

The State Government will also create suicide prevention networks, run by volunteers, in every council area across the state as it delivers its 2017-2021 Suicide Prevention Plan.

The blueprint, released on Wednesday, also proposes:

TRAINING for 3000 health care staff, including in emergency departments, over three years in a new model which shifts focus from assessing risks to planning for a person’s safety.

INDUSTRY-specific suicide prevention programs to tackle issues in fields with higher death rates.

PARTNERSHIPS with universities to further research.

EMPLOYING an Aboriginal project officer to address indigenous suicide rates, which are higher than in the non-indigenous population.

LAUNCHING a public health campaign outlining the mental health benefits of being in nature.

Mental Health Minister Leesa Vlahos said a statewide suicide registry would be established by next year, to help experts gain a greater understanding of suicidal behaviour and improve responses to personal distress.

It will be developed by the Chief Psychiatrist and the State Coroner and provide real-time data.

The release of the new plan comes in the wake of the death of 13-year-old Libby Bell who took her own life following what her family says was a sustained cyber-bullying and physical abuse campaign by school peers.

Survey finds Australians stigmatises suicide1:01

World Suicide Prevention Day report finds education is key to reducing the negative stigma around suicide.

September 10th 2017

17 days ago

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Her death has prompted Australian Conservatives state leader Dennis Hood to draft new legislation, modelled on Victorian anti-bullying laws, which could impose up to 10 years’ jail for people who cause physical or mental harm to another person through bullying.

Latest figures show the suicide rate in South Australia is just higher than the national average, at 13.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2015.

A total 236 South Australians took their lives in that year.

The Government has committed $600,000 to improving access to support services and $130,000 in community grants to organisations that support veterans, female prisoners, indigenous men and boys, migrants and refugees.

Ms Vlahos said less than half of people who died by suicide in South Australia each year sought help beforehand.

“It is paramount that the whole community is aware of the importance of assisting those at risk to get help at the earliest time,” she said.

“Many South Australians have been affected in some way by the death of a person who has taken their own life. It is essential that we continue our efforts to address this significant and complex social issue.”

Opposition spokesman Sam Duluk welcomed the plan but noted the Government had released a draft in April but not finalised it until after the 2012-2016 plan lapsed.

“We have waited nine months for a new Suicide Prevention Plan following the conclusion of the previous strategy,” he said.

“We welcome any efforts that will help prevent suicide but this Government continues to drag it heels on the mental health needs of South Australians.”